With the bulk of NFL free agency complete, many of the New York Jets’ offseason questions have been answered.

However, the plan at QB2 behind Geno Smith remains unknown.

Andy Dalton and Carson Wentz, both commonly linked to the Jets due to their connections to offensive coordinator Frank Reich, are no longer options.

And with Dalton now in Philadelphia, there is renewed trade chatter surrounding Tanner McKee.

The Jets, though, should refrain from re-entering those conversations.

Understanding Philadelphia’s asking price

Speaking with Gary Myers on ESPN New York’s “Saturday Huddle,” longtime Jets beat reporter Rich Cimini revealed that New York “looked in” to trading for guys like McKee, Davis Mills, and Mac Jones, but ultimately the asking prices were “exorbitant,” later stating that those teams were looking for second-round picks.

Could you argue that McKee, Davis, and Jones are each more intriguing than Geno Smith? Sure, but none of those players are worth second-round picks, particularly McKee.

While the former 2023 sixth-round pick has shown flashes throughout the preseason, he has only made two regular season starts, coming in Week 18 of the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

Over those two starts, playing defenses riddled with backups, McKee led the Eagles to a 1-1 record while completing 59.2% of his passes for 510 yards (6.3 per attempt), three touchdowns, and one interception.

Ultimately, it all boils down to the asking price.

If the Eagles were willing to part with the signal-caller in exchange for a Day 3 pick, it would be difficult to fault the Jets for taking that dart throw. However, it would be nonsensical to give up a second-round selection.

The Jets have four picks in the top 45 of this year’s NFL draft and two in the top 16. Those picks should be treated as extremely valuable. That means not trading one for a sixth-round quarterback who has made two (mediocre) NFL starts.

Gang Green could look to a more experienced and cheaper option to fill their QB2 void, or they could also scour the market on Day 3 of the NFL draft and take a dart throw on someone like Penn State’s Drew Allar. Perhaps they will do both.

Overall, the Jets could take several different routes to find Geno Smith’s backup, but trading for McKee, given his reported asking price, would raise eyebrows.